Promises
by Utdragongirl
Summary: Felicity has always been curious about her mother's past, but she won't say anything. Especially when Felicity's father mentions that her mother had a life threatening disease. One that she shouldn't have recovered from. Felicity is determined to figure out why her mother won't talk, but she may have received more than she bargained for.
1. Chapter 1

She kissed my head and smiled. It was kind, but it made me uneasy. My mother always had that look when I asked about her past. Dad had told me about how she nearly died from some sort illness that affected her brain or something. It should have killed her, but she was here. She should have died when she was ten.

"Why won't you tell me about it, Mum? What happened?" I pleaded as she shook her head. There was something that she was hiding.

"Nothing happened, Felicity. The do- medical doctor made an error. It wasn't as threatening as he thought. Turned out to be an ear infection," my mum tried to reassure with her faux grin. She never used my full name unless she was worried.

"An ear infection? That made you lose your hearing in your left ear? Dad said-"

"Dad says a lot of things," she interrupted before leaving the table. I pulled at my hair, curious about it. Usually I wouldn't push it, but I learned about a brain disease in my medical terminology class. I had been working to become a doctor. When I told Dad, he said that she had it when she was ten. He didn't know much about the sickness, but he certainly didn't know that the illness was ninety-nine percent fatal. A child could not have survived, and there is no known treatment nor cure. I stood from the table and went to my room.

I picked up one of my novels I had retrieved from the book shelf from the living room and began to read it. It was called 'the Clock Doctor.' It was one of Mum's favorites, so I decided to give it a try. It was about a lonely old man that could travel through time and space, leaving behind destruction and glory.

As I flipped page after page of the fascinating novel about an impossible time traveler and his machine, a small note fell out. Curious, I opened the folded edges and recognized my mother's handwriting.

Day seven- Felicity saw the man in the corner of her room again. She says that he looks very young but feels old. I asked her what she meant, but not even she could explain it to me. But she did say that he was nice, and asked her a lot of questions, mostly about her life here. Maybe it is him. After all this time.

I stared at the paragraph in awe. What was this? A man in a corner? Why didn't she panic? Why don't I remember? I put the paper in my pocket and went hunting for more, which turned out to be two.

Day eleven- The man in the corner played with Felicity and her stuffed animals while I went to the store. Phil was working from home, so he had no idea. Felicity was so happy that she had a playmate now. I asked her why I never saw him and she shrugged. Felicity told me that the time wasn't ready yet. What does that even mean? Why won't he come and see me?

I pulled out the last one.

Day fifteen- Felicity came to me crying today. She said that the man didn't show up to play. He promised to take her out for ice-cream. I'm not surprised. He always did that. Break promises. Abandon friends and family. Disappear without a trace. Why would he do that to Felicity? She's only three? God, what's wrong with him? I'm going to hit him if I ever see him again!

I exhaled, absolutely stunned. What did these notes mean? I gathered them up and shoved them into my nightstand drawer before going into the living room. I checked to see if my parents were there, but they seemed to be elsewhere. I plucked books off the shelves and gather the remaining thirteen notes. I ran back into my room and pieced them together.

After half an hour, I sat back, stunned by my discovery. When I was little, a man showed up for a fortnight at the same time everyday to play with me, and, for some odd reason, my mum documented every day of my hallucination. She was thrilled by it to say the least, hardly saying a word to Dad. I ran a hand through my hair before I ran down to the basement, where my parents were. My dad looked up from the newspaper he was reading as Mum was on the computer. I ignored Dad and slammed the notes onto the computer desk. Mum jumped and looked at me, confused.

"What are these?" I demanded as she examined them. She paled and panicked.

"Where did you find them?" She asked quietly. I leaned on the table as she took a deep breath. "They're nothing. You had an imaginary friend when you were three and I kept track. I thought it was adorable."

"What are they really? I wouldn't get so worked up over an imaginary friend leaving. I was devastated, or so you say," I countered, wanting to know what she was hiding. By this time, Dad came up behind me and folded his arms.

"It's about him, isn't it?" He whispered as he rubbed his eyes. Mum nodded and hung her head. "Ginny. We've been through this."

"I know..." Mum whispered, sounding heartbroken. I looked at Dad, hoping for answers.

"Felicity, I think you're mother has some explaining to do," Dad whispered as Mum panicked. She knew that he thought she was crazy. She looked at me and sighed.

"What do you want to know?" Mum murmured, defeated and embarrassed.

"The ear infection," I demanded as she led me to the sofa.

"You're right. It wasn't an ear infection. It was a deadly disease. I collapsed in my yard one day when I was ten. A man, a savior, was passing by and noticed as my little sister, Aunt Kathy, screamed for help. He could never turn away when a child cried for help. He brought me into the house with Kathy at his heels. Gramma screamed at the sight. Regardless, he told her that he was a doctor and that he could see what was wrong with me. He waved a wand of sorts and told Gramma that something was wrong with my brain. He said that he could help me and that I wasn't going to die today. When I woke up, Gramma called him a quack after all that, thinking he was a con man out for her money. However, he never asked for any payment and left, coming back with ice cream for me and Kathy," Mum explained, biting her lip. I sighed.

"Did you ever see him again?" I whispered, curious.

"Yes, I did. After my father left, he came back. He took me far away-"

"He kidnapped you?!"

"Of course not! I went willingly and he showed me... Many things. Wonders of the world. He had heard about my father, a coward and a jerk. The man acted like a second father to us. It's hard to explain," Mum assured, panicking about my outburst. I shook my head and looked at her.

"Was this the same man in my room when I was little?" I continued.

"I think so. You described him just the way I remembered him. With his big ears and accent. I knew it was him. I was glad that he still remembered me and though that it was so cute that he was playing with you."

"When you were children, did he disappear?"

"Yes, he did. I guess we got in the way sometimes or it got dangerous. Either way, while we were asleep, he put us back in Gramma's home. Out home. No goodbye. No last words. He was just gone," Mum whispered, her eyes tearing up. Dad touched her shoulder, hearing this before. She touched his hand and smiled.

"What was his name?" I went on as she laughed.

"He called himself 'the Doctor.' Never knew why. I don't think he knew why. He just was," Mum smiled and chuckled under her breath.

"Why did you keep this from me?"

"Knowledge is dangerous. I wouldn't have told you I you weren't eighteen. There are creatures out there who will do anything to get near him. To find him. To kill him. I assure you, he is a great man, but even he has enemies. You have to be careful," she warned as Dad groaned.

"You over exaggerating, Dear. Why would one good man have enemies?" Dad questioned rhetorically. Mum's eyes darkened, reminded by the fact that her husband didn't believe her stories. "But now you know. Feel better?"

"Yeah, I do," I lied. I could tell when Mum was lying, and this wasn't one of those times. Mum saw that belief in my eyes and breathed out. Dad returned to his newspaper as Mum brought me upstairs.

She sat down across from me at the dinner table. I folded my hands in front of me, wondering what she had planned. Mum seemed nervous and slightly upset. I touched her hands as she gave me that old smile.

"Felice, you have to understand that I'm not crazy, even if your father thinks so. I've been to a doctor and they said I was sane and stable," she's warned before taking a deep breath. I felt my eyes widen in fear and concern. What was she talking about? I knew she wasn't crazy, but where was she going with this? I nodded to have her go on. "That man. His name is the Doctor. Just the Doctor. He's an alien and hundreds of years old. Are you good so far?"

"I've always believed in aliens," I breathed, taking it in quite well. If it were any other person, I would storm off and call them a liar and a fool. I trusted Mum more than anyone else in the entire world. Until now, she never lied to me not did she hide anything. Except this. Why should I start doubting her now? Mum smiled genuinely before looking at her hands sheepishly.

"The Doctor is a time traveler. He has a time machine called the TARDIS, which stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space. He goes through the universe, helping planets and people," she explained as I bit my lip. His could she not be crazy? Was this why she always insisted that I keep an open mind and try not to shut ideas down? "You don't believe me, do you?"

"I...I don't know," I whispered as I heard the ice cream truck outside outside. Standing up, I smiled. "Let's get some ice cream and I'll decide."

"Fair enough," Mum whispered as she handed me the money. I smiled and walked out the door. The ice cream man had stopped on the side of the street. I walked over to the counter on the side of the van.

"Two chocolate cones please," I ordered as a stiff man walked over. He had a happy smile. Almost too happy. Again, I bit my lip and waited for him to do something. He didn't. "Excuse me? Sir?"

"What. Is. Your. Name?" He asked, spacing out his words, not faltering from his cheeky grin. I looked around for help, but the street was empty.

"Excuse me? I'm not telling you my name!" I scoffed, pretending to be offended. The grin on the man's face disappeared as an angry frown took its place. I took a step back as the man started t crawl out over the counter. I watched him twist his body in such inhuman ways as he managed to leave the vehicle. I dropped the money in my hand as I backed slowly. Suddenly, someone was behind me. I glanced up and found a man with a leather jacket and some huge ears. He smiled as he grabbed my hand.

"Run."


	2. Chapter 2

The strange man led me down the street toward a blue box. An old sixties police box to be exact. I glanced behind us and found that the ice cream man was still chasing us, knocking down everything in its path. I stifled a squeal and picked up the pace. The man stopped at the box and started to open it.

"What are you doing?" I yelled, scared as the ice cream man neared us. The man cheered as he pulled me into the box. I turned around to scream at him, but found that there was a completely new world inside. The man walked over to the controls and flipped a few switches. I nearly fell over in confusion.

"Don't do that. There's a seat by the console. It takes a moment to get used to it," he laughed as he folded his arms. He smiled, hoping that he was impressive, which he was, but that was beside the point. I felt sick and dizzy.

"It's bigger on the inside," I whispered as the man grinned madly. "What was that? And don't you dare tell me that it was just an average ice cream man."

"You're right. He wasn't you ordinary ice cream man, as you put it. I'm still trying to figure out that mystery," he answered, giving me a soft smile. I examined the box, or whatever it really was and exhaled.

"Who are you?" I demanded, confused and ill. He glanced over at me before turning back to his monitor.

"I'm the Doctor," he answered as I gaped, stunned by his words. He became concerned. "You've heard of me."

"My mother told me about you. The Doctor and his time machine. Is this the TARDIS?" I asked, astounded that my mum wasn't making up a silly story. It was all true. Down to the very last detail. The Doctor seemed confused and worried.

"Who is your mother?" He implored, walking over to me. Somewhere inside, the Doctor knew who my mum was. He started to recognize me through her.

"Ginny Rubartel. That was her maiden name," I informed as the Doctor smiled again. He knew that name very well.

"Ginny? That means your little Felicity. Well, not so little anymore, I see. Do you remember me?" The Doctor grinned as I laughed.

"That was a change if heart, but vaguely. My mum told me that you came to play with me when I was a toddler. Why did you stop coming? Mum said you promised to take me for ice cream," I teased as he shrugged. The air grew dense with tension.

"I'm sorry about that. Something came up and I never got around to it," he answered, looking away.

"But you're a time traveler! You can just pop back whenever you want. Can't you?" I reminded as the Doctor frowned.

"It's been a year for me since I've last seen you. Trust me, I meant to go back to you and treat you to ice cream, but things came up. That ice cream man was one on of those things that came up. Over the long years, something's happened to the truck drivers. They've been replaced. That's why. I've been saving humanity again," he replied as calmly as he could. Biting my lower lip, I nodded. Obviously he meant to come back, but it didn't happen. The Doctor flipped a few more switches before he sat next to me.

"Why did you leave my mum and aunt? They needed you," I whispered, staring at him. He froze, not expecting that question.

"She told you about that?"

"Yes. Why did you leave them?"

"They couldn't live a fantasy life forever. They were going to grow up quickly, so their mum would have been suspicious if her daughters came back bigger than they were supposed to be. They needed a stable life. Without running or danger and have nice family dinners and watch television. I wish I could have kept them, but they weren't mine to keep," the Doctor answered as I shook my head. He looked at me strangely.

"Next time, at least say goodbye and tell them why you were leaving. They thought that you grew bored of them and dropped them home because of it," I continued, taking a deep breath. "Mum talks about you, you know. You saved her life. You were like a second father to her. A proper father. Not like the jerk she had already."

"She did?" He laughed, grinning again. Even he seemed surprised at the truth. I stood up as the sickness went away.

"Let's go see her. Won't you? It would mean the world to her," I pleaded as he gave me a look. He sighed and nodded.

"Then I'll take you for ice cream. Like I promised," the Doctor winked as he smiled from ear to ear. I laughed back, relieved that he agreed. "Hold on!"

"What?" I asked as he pulled a lever, sending the machine flying. As a result, I landed on the floor. I waited there until it stopped and the Doctor helped me up.

"I told you to hold on," he sighed as we heard a dish break from outside the door. I rolled my eyes as kept for the door. The Doctor nodded, thinking that I was taking it in better than anyone else he had around. I opened the door and found Mum doing the dishes. At least, she was. Now she was frozen in the middle of the kitchen.

"Hi, Mum. Guess you I found?" I smiled as the Doctor came through the doorway and waved. Mum walked over to him, completely stunned, then slapped him.

"Ow!" The Doctor shouted before Mum embraced him. My jaw dropped as Mum started to cry. "What was that for?"

"Never showing up," she whimpers as she let go. He stared, holding his cheek. "Do you know how long I've waited? How many schemes I planned with Kathy to find you again? When you showed up around Felicity, I wondered if it had worked. Why didn't you come and see me when you saw her?" Mum asked, wiping her tears away. The Doctor said nothing before sighing.

"I didn't want you to live a fantasy. You needed stability in your life. Especially when your real father left. I would have said hello, but I didn't want you to leave your husband and daughter to come with me," the Doctor explained softly as Mum nodded, understanding. She wrapped her arms around herself, unsure how to proceed.

"I wouldn't have left them. You have no proof of that," Mum whispered, trying to sound offended. The Doctor just smiled and shook his head as I sat at the dinner table.

"You left your mother to come with me," the Doctor reminded, trying to be delicate with her feelings. Mum took in a sharp breath, knowing it was true. If she had another chance, she would drop everything and run to the TARDIS as fast as she could. "Felicity didn't need a mother like that. Like your father."

"Don't you compare me to him!" She screamed, her face red with anger and rage. The Doctor folded his arms as she turned away from him. "I wouldn't ever be like him. He ran away because he was bored of this life. Bored of his family. I've never been bored of Felicity or Phil, nor will I ever! Maybe I would have gone with you, Doctor, if you showed up, but I would have brought Felicity with me. I would bring Phil, but he doesn't believe in such things."

"I'm glad to hear that you wouldn't leave your child, but how would Phil feel about that. By the way, where is Phil? Is he here? I would love to speak with him. Doesn't believe in such things? Bah," the Doctor smiled as Mum chuckled under her breath before she went downstairs to get Dad. I leaned back in my chair, trying not to laugh too hard.

"Dad's going to be so surprised," I whispered as the Doctor sat across from me. He shook his head and sighed.

"I don't know if he's going to believe me. A man comes off the street could easily be seen as crazy," the Doctor reminded, folding his arms. I sighed, realizing that Dad wasn't going to believe this after all.

"Maybe you could show him the TARDIS. He would believe you then," I suggested as the Doctor shook his head. He was about to explain as Mum came back up with Dad. "Hey Dad."

"Who is he?" He demanded as the Doctor stood up. Dad stepped back, surprised to see a stranger in his house.

"I'm the Doctor," he introduced, holding out his hand. Dad gave him a look before laughing. Mum flinched at the noise. Dad was making fun of her. I was shocked. Dad had never teased or made fun of her. I stood up next to the Doctor as Dad turned to Mum.

"Darling, did you really go out and hire a man to come in here and convince me the Doctor is real? Ginny, I told you. He was a coping mechanism that you and Kathy made up. Your terminal illness was either misdiagnosed or you're lucky that you had a good medical doctor," Dad insisted, sounding unsure of himself.

"Phil! Do you really think that I'm that desperate? Honestly? And the Doctor is real, and he wanted to meet you, of all people," Mum countered as the Doctor crossed his arms and nodded. Dad stared at him, still not sold on the idea.

"Dad, Mum is telling the truth," I added as he turned to me, shocked and offended.

"How would you know?" Dad demanded as I jumped at his voice. He sounded angry. "You've never met the Doctor before! He doesn't exist. This man is just someone your mother hired to see if I was a fool. Well, I'm not. I hope she didn't waste you time, sir."

"Are you kidding me?" the Doctor replied, astounded by my father. Dad tilted his head to the side at the remark. "I mean, really. Ginny did not pay me to show you that I was real! She isn't a liar! You are her husband! You should believe her when she says something, even if you think it's childish! At least pretend that you care! Since I've seen you, you've done nothing but insult her! Was that your goal?"

"What?" he whispered as he turned to Mum, whose eyes were starting to tear up. He ran over and tried to grab her hands, but she turned. The Doctor raised his eyebrows at me, trying to look impressive. "Ginny, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"Then what did you intend to do?!" she shouted back, furious.

"To get you to look at the other side of things. The grown up side. Where we left our childish things behind. You can't live in a fantasy forever," Dad explained as she sighed. She was sad, more so than I had ever seen before. Before Mum was able to reply, there was a crash. The Doctor ran to the front window and found more 'ice cream men' outside, smashing in windows of their neighbors.

"We have to go," the Doctor announced pushing my parents toward the blue box. Dad stopped and shook his head.

"Why are we going into a small box?" he laughed, wondering what was going on. The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Because there are creatures out there that want to kill us. Now get in the box," the Doctor explained, shoving him toward the machine.

"We are not going to fit!" Dad argued as the Doctor pushed him in and held the door open for Mum and me. Once we went in, Dad fainted in surprise as Mum smiled in delight. The Doctor went to the console as I dragged my father toward the middle of the control room.


	3. Chapter 3

As the Doctor pulled the levers, Mum ran around the TARDIS. dad still laid unconscious on the floor as I sat on the bench.

"So where are we off to?" I asked, smiling. The Doctor looked up and shrugged.

"Don't know. Kinda spur the moment thing right now. I couldn't let the ice cream men get you, now could I? I don't know what going to happen. Although, I think we should to to the ice cream manufacturers or distributors. I don't know who, or what, is the cause of all of this," he answered, leaning against the console. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Then you do know where we're going," I summed up as he shook his head.

"No, I don't know where you're going, but I'm going to get to the bottom of this," the Doctor informed as I stood up, appalled. He gave me a strange look as I stood up to him.

"So you're just going to drop us off. We're not some objects that you get from a flea market and decide that you don't want them anymore. I won't stand for it! By all means, drop off Dad, but not Mum or me," I argued, folding my arms. He sighed and walked over to me.

"I'm not dumping you into purgatory or anything. It's too dangerous for you all to come," he explained, sadness burning in his eyes. I sighed and shook my head.

"No. Not acceptable. Something tried to kill me. I'm in this until something is resolved about it. You can't just kick me out when we get close," I argued as he smiled. He hadn't battled it out like this in years.

"Do you think you can handle it?"

"I know I can."

"It'll be dangerous and possibly scary as hell."

"Bring it!" I said through my teeth, grinning madly. The Doctor smiled and held out his hand. I shook it.

"Then welcome to the TARDIS, Felicity," he greeted, raising his eyebrows. I smirked, loving a victory. Then Mum came in, twirling about.

"It hasn't changed one bit," she sang, happier than ever. The Doctor nodded as I watched her come up.

"Of course not. I've only been gone a couple years," he winked as she rolled her eyes.

"Stupid Time Lord," she muttered as the Doctor crossed his arms.

"Oi! Watch who you're calling stupid," he warned as she laughed. She came up to the console and noticed Dad on the floor.

"What happened to him?" She asked innocently, pointing at him. The Doctor shrugged.

"Fainted when he came in," he explained as she took his pulse.

"Well, he's alive still. I can't believe he fainted," Mum sighed as she stood up again. The Doctor shrugged as I bit my lip. I was worried about Dad, even if he was being a jerk.

"He'll come around,"the Doctor assured, noticing my uncomfortableness. Mum grabbed my shoulder and smiled.

"He'll be fine. The TARDIS gets a different reaction from everyone. Your father's was just a bit extreme," she added as I started to nod.

"So are you ready to go on an adventure, Ginny? Your daughter is," the Doctor asked, returning to the controls. Mum smiled and shook her head, which caught both of us by surprise. "What? Why not?"

"I'm too old for this. I'm forty three, Doctor. I can't run as fast anymore. I'd slow you down, but if Felicity wants to go, she's welcome to. I want her to know you as I have. I'll live through her," Mum answered with a soft, sad smile. The Doctor sighed, but nodded, understanding.

"Where would you like to go? Your home isn't safe for a while," he implored, pressing more buttons. She thought for a moment before exclaiming something.

"I know! Take us to San Francisco in America. I've always wanted to go there, but make sure it's the early twentieth century so Phil does not faint again," Mum instructed as the Doctor confirmed her wishes, sending the TARDIS whooshing through space. I grabbed the console as we swerved and shook. Mum cheered in delight, as if she was one a roller coaster, as Dad fell off the platform. Luckily, that actually woke him up.

"Where am I?" He whispered as his memories started to kick in again. He turned and found the rest of us struggling to keep our balance. "Ginny?"

"One second, Hun," she whispered as the TARDIS started to materialize and land. She flipped her hair back into the normal place and turned to him. "We're in San Francisco. You can thank the Doctor for that."

"Um, thanks?" Dad answered, confused. Mum went over and helped him to the door. He stared at the Doctor and I for a moment before looking ahead. "Why isn't Felicity coming with us?"

"This is our vacation. Just us this time," Mum winked and smiled. Dad nodded, still out of it. She showed him the door and led him onto the piers. He covered his mouth in shock as the doors closed and we disappeared again.

"Now that was fun. Lets go get some ice cream," the Doctor suggested, pulling a lever. I smiled and held on for dear life.

"So where are we going to find the master mind? I want to know why he did this," I inquired, interested in the investigation. The Doctor shrugged and pressed a few more buttons.

"Who knows. Lets see if I can track one of the ice cream trucks. That's a good start," he suggested, staring at a monitor. I nodded, agreeing with that. He turned to me and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I don't know. You seem rather, well, obedient now. You practically begged me to bring you along and now you just agree. It's new," the Doctor answered, going back to what he was doing. I shrugged thinking that it was nothing.

"I don't want to push my luck, I guess. I am a guest, so I will be polite," I explained, dipping my head. The Doctor laughed and shook his head.

"You don't need to be polite, Felice. You're not a guest. You're a friend. There's a difference," he informed, making me grin. "You don't need to be polite, although I do like the obedience. Never had that in a companion before."

"Companions?"

"Yeah, that's what I call the people that travel with me."

"Have you had many companions?"

"Many more than I'd like go count." The Doctor seemed touchy on the subject.

"What do you mean?" I pushed, curious.

"Did your mother ever tell you about the Time Lords?"

"Yes, it was one of my favorite bedtime stories. Why?"

"Because I am the last of that race. I am nearly nine hundred years old. I don't like being alone, so I bring people aboard so I'm not."

"Can't you go back to Gallifrey? Isn't that the planet?" I whispered, trying to be gentle. He shook his head.

"No, it's a part if my timeline. If I did, I could tear a hole in the entirety of space and time. It's not worth it," he replied with a sad smile.

"Is that why you choose humans, like me and Mum? Because we look like you?" I wondered aloud as he stared at me. It was like I had seen into his soul. He nodded.

"That's one of the reasons. You are also so kind and fierce that's interesting to watch you, even if your lifetimes are so short," he continued as the TARDIS landed again. "You are brilliantly clever, Felicity. Don't let anyone tell you different."

"Agreed. Shall we, then?" I asked, on my out. He shook his head and motioned me back.

"We're not going outside. Not yet. We have to pick the signal from the ice cream truck. When we find the base, then we shall," he explained as he fiddled with the console. I nodded and stood beside him. I watched him as he started scanning. I walked over and around, waiting for something to happen. "Aha! There we go!"

"Where is it coming from?" I asked as his excitement disappeared.

"It seems to be coming from across town. In an abandoned factory," he explained as he left for the door.

"Where are you going?" I called after him as he stopped in front of the door.

"To the factory. Aren't you coming?"

"Of course, but couldn't we take the TARDIS?"

"No. I don't want her falling into the wrong hands," the Doctor answered as I shrugged and followed him. Outside we were in London, which surprised me for some reason. Especially since we were in San Francisco few moments before. The Doctor started walking down the street, nearly leaving me behind.

"Hey! Wait up!" I shouted as I caught up. He smiled as I walked by his side. He smiled down at me as we walked along the streets of London.

Once we arrived at the factory, I went for the door before the Doctor pulled me back. I stared at him as he shook his head, putting a finger to his mouth. I folded my arms as I watched the door. The Doctor seemed to be waiting for something to happen.

"Doctor," I whispered, protesting. He silenced me again with his finger. I bit my lip and nodded. Something was up, or at least there better have been. And someone did come out of the factory. It was one of the ice cream men, at first crawling out before jerking back into a human stride. I could feel my lunch creep up in my chest as I turned away.

"I think we're going to be okay, now. Let's go," he smiled, jumping from the shadows. I sighed and followed, thinking that all this might be going to his head. We walked over to the door, which was conveniently locked.

"What are we going to do now?" I asked, trying to stay positive. The Doctor pulled out a silver cylinder of some sort with a blue tip. He pointed it at the door as it made a strange whirring noise. Soon, the door unlocked and he went inside. "How did you do that?"

"Sonic Screwdriver," he explained as I closed the door behind us. I raised an eyebrow.

"What's that? What does it do?" I implored as the Doctor grinned brilliantly.

"Nearly everything you need it to," he winked as we walked further into the building.

"Now that sounds too good to be true, Doctor. Did you invent it, then?" I inquired as he opened another door. He shrugged, examining the area.

"Yep," he stated as he turned to me. I came up beside him, wondering why he stopped talking and what he was looking at. It seemed that the factory was no longer abandoned after all. It seemed like those ice cream men were being built here. The Doctor creeped down the stairs as hundreds of creatures were being manufactured down below.

"What are we going to do?" I whispered as the Doctor gave me an odd look.

"Um..."

"Don't you have a plan?"

"I always have a plan. The plan was to get in here," he hissed, hating being questioned. I rolled my eyes.

"Then what?"

"Come up with a new plan," he grumbled, walking away from me. I silently followed he went down to one of the machines and scanned it with his screwdriver.

"What are we doing here, Doctor?" I murmured, keeping on the lookout. The Doctor shook his head and gazed at me, thinking that I was stupid. "Look, I have the gist of what's going on, but why are we here?"

"To get information about this. If my hunch is right, the earth is in danger. We need to make sure I'm not overreacting," he replied as I remembered the creature that attacked us earlier. I sighed and rubbed my face, trying to get a hold of the situation. "I believe something wants the human race dead."


	4. Chapter 4

"And what in God's name gave you that idea?" I demanded, wondering if I made the right choice after all. The Doctor sighed and turned to me.

"When you first saw the ice cream man by your house, what did it say?" He asked, leading me somewhere.

"It asked for my name."

"Why do you think?"

"I don't know. Do you?"

"I think so, but I need to proof. I think it wanted your name for cataloging. I've seen it happen all over the country and world in the past year, just asking for the names of the buyers. If they told them, they sped off again, hardly remembering to take the money. Sometimes didn't even get them the ice cream. I haven't gotten this close in ages. I hijacked one once, which was a different experience, but there was a computer inside that kept track of all the people they had encountered," the Doctor explained as we continued through the building. I shook my head, not completely getting it.

"But why?" I pressed as he shrugged.

"Don't know yet. That's why we're here in the first place. Someone is in the main office, over looking the project. We just have to go say hi," he added as we found the stairs leading up. He turned to give me his impressive smile as we went up the flights.

We approached the main office at the top of the stairs. There were two huge doors with two plants one either side. Definitely not abandoned. The plants were lush and green. I looked at the Doctor, slightly worried. He gave me a reassuring smile as I took a deep breath. He knocked on the door and stood back. A scrawny man opened the doors and froze, shocked to see us standing there. I waved politely as the man called back into the office.

"Let them in," a low voice answered from inside. The scrawny man smiled and held the door open for us to pass. I nodded my head in thanks as the Doctor led me toward a large desk. The man in the chair faced the window of the factory. "Doctor? Is it you?"

"Who are you?" The Doctor demanded, ignoring the question. The man in the chair laughed as he turned around. I jumped as his skin was scaly and green. He looked like a human reptile.

"I've done my research. That's all, Doctor," he smiled and leaned back. "My name is Jerab."

"What are you doing?" The Doctor continued, not caring how Jerab knew who he was.

"Taking back the earth, of course," Jerab answered as I put my hands on my hips. Why would he want to do that?

"So you're taking people's names? Why?" The Doctor implored harshly. Jerab's eyes narrowed.

"To count them. To catalog them. I want to know how many there are, and weed out the smarter ones. The ones who don't give us their names. It's easier to program the androids with one question than how to count anyway," Jerab replied, turning to me. "Is this your new pet, Doctor?"

"No, she's a friend. How do you know me?" The Doctor retorted as Jerab sighed, turning his chair.

"Like I said. Research. Years of it."

"I thought Silurians evacuated this planet ages ago. What are you doing here?" The Doctor inquired as Jerab kept his eyes on my. He looked like he was calculating something.

"They did. I came back to take the earth back. My people have legends of a sleeping colony deep beneath the ground. When they wake up, they will have a home free if apes. This is my mission, Doctor," Jerab spat, glaring at the Doctor, who hardly cared.

"Have you actually met the humans? They are actually very nice people. They don't deserve to be murdered for the sake of a sleeping colony," the Doctor explained as Jerab shook his head.

"You aren't seeing the big picture, Doctor. You're blinded by your bias. You've travelled with this race far too long for your statement to be valid. The Silurians were here first," Jerab argued as the Doctor leaned on the desk.

"You don't have rights to this planet anymore. You have a new planet. Siluria. One that is the same as the earth was over a hundred million years ago. You don't need this planet," the Doctor countered through his teeth. Jerab pursed his lips, thinking that the Doctor was acting ridiculous.

"The humans had their chance, now it's time we came back. Some of us have seen Siluria as a temporary home until we have the power to take this planet back. Now it's time," Jerab announced, standing up to the Doctor.

"I will not allow you slaughter billions of innocent people for a pointless dream!" The Doctor screamed, very upset by now. Jerab hissed in his face.

"They are weak and stupid. Such a race should be obliterated," he argued loudly.

"They are not weak and stupid! They are learning. Growing. Blossoming to become one of the most powerful and magnificent races of the universe. Granted that there are a few stupid people, but every creature has that in their race! Even the Silurians!" The Doctor shouted, his powerful aura filling the room. I took a step back, hoping that I wasn't about to become collateral damage.

"How dare you insult my species!" Jerab screamed, throwing his hands down on the desk. "Out! Both of you! You are rare, Doctor, I will spare your life, but if I see you again, I will kill you. And your little pet!"

With that the scrawny man led us out the door and out of the factory. Once we were outside, the Doctor smiled and chuckled as we walked down the street. I stared at him, wondering if he had gone mad.

"What was that about?" I asked gingerly, hoping to avoid another argument. He looked down and smiled at me.

"Getting information. Now we know that he isn't working alone. He said 'some of us', which means that there's more than him. I'm thinking he's part of a radical group from Siluria that believes in that underground colony. And we know why he's created the ice cream droids. And that he's crazy if not insane," he informed as we started back to the street. I nodded, thinking that actually made sense for once.

"So where to next?" I implored energetically.

"Siluria. I want to see if the government understands what's going on. I hope they have no idea," the Doctor replied with a grin.

"Siluria? An alien planet?" I continued, trying not to sound too excited.

"Of course. Is that alright?"

"Absolutely!" I nearly screamed before covering my mouth. The Doctor laughed and patted my back in approval, leading me into a restaurant. I turned to him with a surprised look.

"What? I do get hungry. If you want, you can wait outside," the Doctor informed, holding the door open. I eyed him and shrugged, walking inside.

"Fine, but you're paying," I informed as he smiled.

"Of course," he mumbled, oblivious to know that I saw him pick pocket the scrawny man when we left. In my eyes, the man had it coming to him. We sat down at a table, the Doctor facing the window. I glanced beside me, noticing that the alleyway to the factory was framed by the glass. I turned back around and looked at the menu.

"So have you been here before?" I asked blankly, examining the list of burgers. He shrugged.

"No, not here. Been places like this before. Why?" the Doctor replied, looking out the window, almost ignoring me.

"Just wondering what to get," I answered as the waitress came over.

"What can I get you?" she smiled, holding a pen and paper. I grinned back and looked at the menu.

"I'll have a mushroom burger with a cookies and cream shake. He'll have a bacon swiss burger with fries. Oh, and two cokes," I answered, handing her the two menus back. The waitress smiled and thanked me before she went back into the kitchen. I hit the Doctor, breaking his trance. "What are you looking at?"

"I'm watching for an ice cream droid to come out so we can follow it. When we saw the last one, it didn't come with an ice cream truck. They're getting them from off the streets. And I think we both know what's happening when those things get out," the Doctor explained, starting to wonder where his menu went. "Did the waitress already come?"

"Yeah, she did. I ordered you a bacon swiss burger and fries with a coke," I answered as he widened his eyes.

"Bacon swiss?"

"Yeah, bacon swiss. It was the first thing I saw, since you weren't paying attention. Did I choose well?" I asked as he sighed.

"Yeah, it'll be fine. Not my first pick, but it's fine. What did you get?"

"Mushroom burger and a shake," I replied as he gave me a strange look. "What?"

"Mushrooms?"

"Yeah mushrooms. What's wrong with mushrooms?" I demanded, confused.

"Nothing. Mushrooms are gross," he explained, throwing his hands up in surrender. I shook my head and sighed.

"Is it just a thing for guys not to like mushrooms? Every guy I know hates them," I continued as the Doctor shrugged, not sure if it was a 'guy' thing. "Never mind. Out of curiosity, what would you have chosen?"

"I don't know. Probably something salty. I didn't look at the menu properly," he sighed, shrugging.

"Bacon is salty," I reminded with a smile. He nodded and grinned back. "How long do you think we're going to sit here before one of them comes out? Do you think Jabab is going to wait to be safe?"

"It's Jerab, and I don't think so. It's probably a factory delay, or it takes awhile to make one droid. I have been looking for over a year for a lead," he reminded, watching the alley way. I looked behind me and grimaced. Nothing yet. At least that meant I could enjoy my meal in peace.

"True, but still," I continued as I leaned on my arm casually. "Do you think Mum and Dad are having fun in America? Or do you think Dad passed out again?"

"Probably having fun. I doubt he's that stupid to faint again. He should have accepted the fact when he saw the TARDIS. He's heard the stories, hasn't he?"

"Yeah, I think so. I guess so. I didn't expect him to do that, though. He was out cold for a while, which was different," I answered, looking at the wall. They had vintage pictures of rock stars and movie actors. The Doctor agreed, not truly paying attention again. I sighed, wondering if I made the right choice coming alone. So far, the Doctor didn't want to talk to me and started to ignore me. If only I had someone to talk to.

Soon, the waitress came back with our orders and laid them down with the check. I thanked her as she placed the straws and spoon on the table before leaving. I tapped the Doctor's shoulder, bringing him back to life, and pointed at his food. He smiled sheepishly and ate a fry, returning to the alleyway. I leaned back in the booth, eating my dessert silently.

"Doctor," I whispered, placing the empty cup next to my drink. He grunted in response. "Is this really necessary?"

"Yeah," he answered as I thought that his patience was incredible. I sat back, wondering why we could time jump or something so we wouldn't have to wait anymore. I started on my burger as the Doctor remember the money in his pocket. He took it out and placed it on the check. "Get ready to leave."

"What?" I asked as one of the droids left the alley. He jumped up and handed me the money and check before leaving. I rolled my eyes and asked for a box as I paid for the meal. Once I was clear, I grabbed the bag and ran after the Doctor, who was already down the street.


	5. Chapter 5

I followed behind the Doctor at a distance, seeing that he was quite focused on the droid. I just needed to keep him in sight. However, it wasn't long until the little robot found a truck, parked neatly on the side of the road. The driver inside was taking stock to see if he was ready for the day. The droid approached the vehicle and ripped off the back door. I flinched at the screeching of the torn metal before catching up. The Doctor followed the droid into the truck in an effort to save the man inside. I ran up to the truck, dropping the leftovers.

Inside, the Doctor was trying to talk with the droid, but only got a blank smile in response. He took a deep breath and tried again as the man quivered in the corner.

"What is your purpose here?" He demanded as the droid cocked its head to the side.

"What. Is. Your. Name?" It asked, reverting to its original programming. The Doctor sighed and tackled the robot before decapitating it. He stuck the screwdriver where the neck used to be as the body fell limp by the man, who screamed.

"So, it really just a stupid computer running on commands. Felicity, what are we going to do?" The Doctor sighed, tossing the head to the floor.

"Let's go check out that planet you were talking about earlier? You said we could get information from there," I answered as I leaned against the truck wall. The ice cream man started to get up, stunned and frightened.

"You're all mad!" He declared as he shooed us away. The Doctor shrugged and jumped out the back with me not far behind. He walked back to the street, picking up the bag I dropped moments ago.

"You kept the food?" He asked, gesturing at the plastic bag. I nodded. "Why?"

"I don't know. You hardly ate any of it. Aren't you hungry? With two hearts and all?" I questioned as he shook his head.

"I'm hardly ever really hungry, or tired for that matter. I'm used to a much, much longer day than you are. How can you get everything done in less than twenty four hours? It's insane!" The Doctor answered, giving a hint to his past. I should my head.

"I wanna know you have all this energy. How long are your days?" I countered as he handed me the food as we neared the TARDIS. Accepting that I wasn't going to get that answer, I stepped forward to go in. He stopped me, holding something in his hand.

"This is the TARDIS key. Since you're going to be traveling with me, you should be able to get in," he explained, placing the warm metal in my hand. I smiled at the small item, delighted that he trusted me with such a thing. He swung the doors wide open, leading me inside.

"Thank you so much," I whispered, grinning at him. He laughed.

"You're welcome," he chuckled, smiling back. I placed the key in my back pocket and our lunch on the bench. "Are you sure you're ready for a brand new planet? I usually take people time traveling first before taking them across space."

"I'll be fine. But that doesn't mean that I don't want to go time traveling," I informed, still grinning wildly. The Doctor laughed and nodded. I walked over to the console as he started the TARDIS off before we went whooshing through space. I stared at the column in the middle of the console and giggled. Never in a millions years would I have thought that I would have been able to do this. It was insane, but I realized that there was no place I'd rather be.

After a few moments, we halted as the TARDIS materialized on the foreign planet. I sighed, excited to see the new planet. The Doctor smiled and waved toward the door.

"Go and see," he whispered before I ran to the door. I glanced back at him and opened it to a whole new world. My breath was taken away by the sight of towering buildings and vehicles that would put the human race to shame.

"This is absolutely fantastic!" I stressed, trying my best not to jump up and down.

"Let's go see the government leaders. Then I'll show you around," the Doctor promised as he started walking down the road again. The TARDIS closed her doors as I ran after him.

"Don't people notice the TARDIS? I mean, it's not the most discreet thing here," I reminded as the Doctor shook his head.

"There's a perception field around it that makes people ignore it. Unless they're looking for her, no one notices it there," he answered, tucking his hands into his pocket. I nodded slowly, thinking that probably wasn't going to be the strangest thing yet. The Doctor walked toward a large dome as the Silurians gave us strange looks. I stared at the Doctor, wanting them to stop gawking. "Doctor."

"I know they're staring. You would be, too, if you saw one of them on earth. Now calm down. We're almost there," he whispered as I nodded. I would have stared if a Silurian was walking down the road. Deciding to avoid eye contact, I kept my head down and made sure that I wasn't separated from the Doctor.

"How are we going to get into the building?" I whispered before biting my lip. The Doctor smiled and shrugged.

"Psychic paper," he answered, speaking gibberish to me. I just nodded and sighed, wondering if he was ever going to make sense. We walked up to the building, where two guards stood watch. The Doctor approached them and showed them a blank piece of paper. Seeing only for a moment, they panicked as they opened the door, bowing to him. The Doctor gave me a confused look before entering.

"What was that about?" I asked once the doors closed.

"I don't know," he answered, shaking the question to the back of his mind. He had better things to think about. I just nodded again, learning to accept things at face value. We made our way through the hallways before coming to a large set of doors with more guards. The Doctor went up to them. "Excuse me. What is this room?"

"It is the main chamber for the council. They are meeting right now," the guard replied, wondering how we got through the front door.

"Do you have ID?" The other guard asked as the Doctor took out his psychic paper. The man froze and saluted. "You are welcome to come in and out of the chambers whenever you like, sir."

"Thank you," the Doctor smiled, extremely confused. I followed him in as the guards bowed. The Doctor opened the huge doors as the council inside stood up. The leader of the group came over.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded, angry. The Doctor showed him the psychic paper as the leader quickly apologized. "I had no idea it was you, Doctor. I hope the guards treated you with respect."

"They did," the Doctor answered as the leader sighed with relief. I glanced around the room and found that all the members were absolutely silent and looked hopeful of the Doctor. "I'm sorry. How do you know me?"

"You created this planet for us, Doctor. Don't you remember?" The leader replied as the Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Remember he's a time traveler," a member whispered as the leader laughed.

"Of course. I forgot. Pay no attention to me. The future Doctor gave us this planet," the leader explained as he bowed. The Doctor pursed his lips toward me in annoyance before turning back toward the Silurian.

"I bound to find out eventually. Regardless, I would like to talk to you in private when you have a moment," the Doctor informed as the leader stood straight and nodded.

"Of course, but after this meeting, if you don't mind, that is," the leader replied as the Doctor agreed.

"We'll be around," he informed as the leader thanked the Doctor again. We walked back out as he sighed and continued down the hallway.

"What was that about?" I asked, confused. The Doctor shrugged.

"Something about my future. I usually don't get too much into it if I can. Although, I'm a bit surprised that they actually told me that. I would have warned them about my regeneration process at least. Did you notice that none of them actually recognized me until showed them the paper?" The Doctor asked, shaking his head. I stared ahead, just burnt out. Then I caught something he said.

"Regeneration?"

"I'll explain later. I promise. I don't want to get into it right now," he bargained as we walked by gorgeous artworks. I sighed, refusing to reply to that. If he didn't want to share, he didn't have to, but I would definitely remind him later. "You're a strange one."

"What?" I asked, surprised at the comment, wondering if I should have been offended. He shrugged and sighed.

"You're not like the others I've traveled with before. You don't pry or say much of anything. You always do what I say, which is odd for me. Are you sure you're human?" he asked as I laughed and shook my head.

"Of course I'm human. You know my mum, and she's human. Dad fainted in the TARDIS, which points to the likelihood of him also being human. That leaves me 100% human," I explained as he smiled.

"It's just you're so different from most of the humans I've met so far. It's just interesting to find one that does know how to listen," the Doctor continued as he looked ahead. I shrugged, thinking that I acted normal. I didn't know this place, and he did. That made him the leader, one that I needed to listen to if I didn't want to get lost or worst. It made me think of the other people he traveled with. Did they just run off when he wasn't looking? "How long do you think that meeting is going to go on?"

"I don't know. If it's a main government involved meeting, then it could take hours. If it's a local government, maybe one or two hours. Of course, I don't know how their meetings work here. I'm just basing this off of what I've heard on earth," I answered, admitting that I had no idea how long we were going to wait. The Doctor sighed and pursed his lips.

"Lovely," he whispered, glancing around. He was obviously bored and curious about the origins of this place. I wondered if his future self even meant to remind the people of his past self and that he might come around.

"Doctor, why do you think they don't know about you? Wouldn't your future self tell them?" I asked as he shrugged.

"Time can be rewritten. It's possible that this didn't happen for my future self. Not meeting you again or me taking you here. It could be anything. Maybe I forgot some reason," the Doctor answered, distracted. I bit my lip, wondering if there was something more. Something that he didn't know yet. Something from the future.

"Well, I'm glad I'm here, Doctor. I'm glad you came back," I smiled, breaking the silence. He grinned back and nodded.

"Me, too," he answered before something caught his eye. His face was shocked and slightly angry. I turned to see behind me and found people running down the hall. I looked closer and found that they were running for their lives.

"Doctor, what's going on?" I whispered as he closed his mouth.

"I don't know, but I think we should start running before we find out," he answered, grabbing my hand and running ahead of the Silurians behind us.


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor and I ran into a broom closet, waiting for the stampeding Silurians to pass us by. Their screams sounded as they ran with huge footsteps following behind. I bit my lip and closed my eyes, hoping that the creature chasing the Silurians continued to chase them rather than find us in here. Once they were a considerable distance away, the Doctor opened the door a crack to see a long, scaly tail disappear into a corridor. He stepped out of the closet as I followed.

"What do we do?" I asked in a hushed tone. He stared at the hallway, hardly noticing my question. I bumped his arm as he came out of the trance.

"What? Oh, right. I think we should follow it."

"What?!"

"Don't you know what it is?" he asked, walking down the hallway. I gaped, trying to find my words.

"That thing was trying to kill the Silurians! So, no, I don't want to see what it is!" I hissed, trying to keep my voice low. Given my surprise, it was harder than I thought not to make a lot of noise. The Doctor turned around and motioned for me to come.

"If that thing was trying to kill them, then we need to find out why. We can't stand here and do nothing," he pressed, holding out his hand. I pursed my lips in thought, wondering just how much my life was worth. Deciding that my life was boring and needed more excitement, I grabbed his hand and ran silently behind him.

We stopped behind a pillar as the creature entered a room, no longer hunting the Silurians. With no evidence of a crime scene, I assumed that the people were able to get out safely and that the monster got distracted. The Doctor inched toward the room to get a closer look. I followed close behind, finding my curiosity again. We peeked into the room and saw what resembled a tyrannosaurus rex. I covered my mouth and slid against the wall. It was something out of Jurassic Park! No wonder the Silurians were screaming! The Doctor froze as he now stared at the ceiling. He could help but wonder what his future self had done.

"Doctor," I whispered as he turned to me. I motioned for us to leave and he nodded. He needed to know why the T-Rex got there in the first place before it happened again. He dashed to my side of the doorway and made our way back outside.

The Doctor and I went across the street to get far away from the building as the authorities came to deal with the large, carnivorous dinosaur inside. I sat down on the steps to an apartment as the Doctor thought about what had happened. He seemed almost excited, as if he enjoyed the thrill of danger.

"A dinosaur," he whispered, trying to contain his excitement. I rolled my eyes, thinking that of course he would love to be attacked by a prehistoric creature. I leaned on my hand as a familiar Silurian came our way. It was the leader.

"Doctor," he began with a slight bow. The Doctor glanced at me a moment before turning back to him. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah, but are you sure this is a good time? I mean a dinosaur-" the Doctor began as the leader shook his head.

"The meeting has been postponed for next week and I have nothing to do until later this evening. I am here to answer all the questions you have," the leader explained, bowing again. The Doctor nodded, unsure.

"I see. Well, do you know a man named Jerab? He's made his way back to Earth and is convinced that there is a sleeping colony underneath the soil. He's prepared to commit genocide to take the planet back for that mythical city. I'm investigating why and to see if he might be working with others. This hardly seems like a one man job," the Doctor explained as the leader nodded, thinking.

"I have only recently become aware of this Order, since it has been secret for ages. Some predict it's as old as Siluria itself. Anyway, this Order believes that the Earth was wrongfully taken away from us and that we should take it back from the humans. Of course, the council and I strongly disagree, since the climate and geography are completely different and nearly inhospitable for us," the leader replied, folding his hands. The Doctor pursed his lips and smiled.

"Do you know where we can find this Order? Or even stop it?" the Doctor implored as the leader shrugged.

"I honestly don't know where they hold their meetings, or whatever they do. All I know is that the government has banned their existence, so they are gathering illegally," the leader continued before he paused. "What has Jerab been doing on Earth?"

"He's created an army of androids to catalog, and eventually, destroy the human race. Right now, he's told us that he's weeding out the more intelligent ones so the mass take over will be much easier," the Doctor answered, folding his arms. The leader gaped and was speechless.

"We must stop this at once. We cannot let this go on! The Silurian name will be forever tainted if this group continues," the leader declared, shaking both our hands. "I will bring it to the council's attention immediately."

"What do you intend to do?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"I will propose that we extract Jerab from that planet and bring him back here," the Silurian answered as the Doctor shook his head.

"You can't invade a planet like that, especially Earth. They're governments are constantly covering up alien activity, and I don't want to cause a disruption just yet. Let me see if I can deal with the problem first before you go in, guns ablazing," the Doctor bargained as the leader sighed.

"Agreed. However, I will make sure that the council knows what is going on, but we will wait for your word before we act on anything," the leader answered, saluting the Doctor.

"Thank you, uh-" he began.

"Oag, Sir. Asjiut Oag," the leader replied before returning to his council. I bit my lip again and looked up at the Doctor.

"Now what?" I asked as he smiled.

"We'll do something."

"You don't have a plan, then?"

"Oi! I do have a plan!" The Doctor raised his voice in offense.

"Then what is it?"

"To make a plan," he answered light heartedly before bounding off to the TARDIS. I sighed and ran after him, thinking that he might be certifiably insane. He opened the door as a Silurian came over. "Can I help you?"

"I have reason to believe that the Order Oag mentioned planned this disaster. My brother is amongst those who have given into insanity. I believe that Jerab, their leader, wants to destroy you," the person informed quietly. I glanced at the Doctor, who was puzzled by the remark.

"How do you know about that?" He asked as the Silurian.

"Jerab talked to my brother earlier today about his you might come and confront the Order. I left today, realizing how crazy the idea to take over another planet was."

"Thank you for the information," the Doctor mumbled, wary if the Silurian. He bowed his head in respect towards us before leaving.

"What do we do?" I inquired, ready for anything. The Doctor folded his arms and thought. I could feel the Doctor's inner tension as he decided the next move. Obviously, this Order thing was larger than either of us would have thought. It made me wonder whether it was a good idea to try to confront it, since they had access to dinosaurs.

"We'll go back to earth. By then, I should have come with some sort of plan by then," he replied, opening the TARDIS door. I sighed, but agreed.

Back in the TARDIS, I stood next to the console as the Doctor spun around, pressing all sorts of buttons. I bit my lip, thinking that there was a very slim chance that we could save the earth. We were going against an ancient race that had creatures that could devastate a city in a matter of hours. How on earth were we supposed to stop something like that?

"Are we going to go see Jerab?" I asked softly as the Doctor looked up, shocked, as if he had forgotten I was here. He stammered for a moment and sighed.

"I don't think so. I think I have another idea," he admitted as I nodded, listening. "If we can destroy that factory, that should weaken the Order and slow them down for a bit. It would at least make them more manageable."

"How are we going to do that?"

"Well, I can create some sort of explosive here or something."

"Would you just leave it somewhere and run for it?" I asked as he shrugged.

"I have to give them a choice first. To do the right thing," the Doctor answered, avoiding my gaze., I folded my arms, appalled by this. He noticed my attitude and stared at me. "What?"

"Are you really willing to sacrifice yourself for something like this? Something that _might_ slow down a terrorist group? That is absolutely and completely unnecessary! We can go about this a different way. You don't have to die!" I shouted, finding myself angry. The Doctor stepped away from the console, concerned for me. "I've just met you, Doctor, but I know that you are one of the most important men in the universe. You save people and you are completely selfless. That doesn't give you the right to commit suicide!"

"They might choose to leave," the Doctor suggested as I scoffed.

"They aren't going to leave, Doctor. They are extremists that believe in their cause and nothing will sway them from their beliefs. Not even a bomb. I'm glad that you want to offer them a choice, and I think you should, but make sure you're careful about it. Leave it somewhere so you can have remote control or something. So that you're far away from the explosion," I pleaded, hoping that the Doctor wouldn't just throw his life away for something so small as this. He walked over to me and grabbed my shoulders.

"I'm not suicidal, Felicity. I know that one life doesn't compare to billions of lives. If I die to save a planet, then I'll be happy and content," the Doctor informed as I shook my head.

"If you die, what about all those people in the future that you will save. No, I don't know that for sure, but I can't believe you will change that much. Think about all those lives lost because you gave yours for a silly cause such as this," I continued as I embraced him. This incredible man needed to be saved and protected, since he wouldn't do it himself. Awkwardly, he patted my back, not sure how to feel about the hug.

"Then I'll figure something else out," he promised as he rubbed my back. I nodded and stepped away, realizing that I had been crying. I wiped my eyes and sighed.

"Thank you," I whispered as he smiled, pulling a lever next to him.


	7. Chapter 7

The Doctor pulled one last lever before landing the TARDIS. He sighed and looked at me, making me wonder what he was up to. He walked past me and looked outside, making sure we landed where we were supposed to. I casually leaned against the console as walked back in towards me. Something was wrong in his face. I couldn't tell what it was, but something had happened.

"Well?" I prompted as he turned back to his controls. The Doctor remained absolutely silent, which made me worry. He was never this silent. "What's wrong?"

"Would you like to take a look outside?" he mumbled, resting his hands on the console. I nodded and dashed to the door, swinging it open. The destruction was almost unbearable. The windows were all smashed, some cars were completely upside down, doors were splintered, even a fire hydrant had been destroyed in the conquest. I covered my mouth, noticing the injured people behind the shattered windows and broken doors. Families kept close together while others nursed the wounded. The dead were piled on the street. The Doctor stood behind me as I began to tear up. This was my street. We had landed in my front yard. "We were too late, Felicity. The ice cream men got here first."

"Has this happened all around the world by now?" I choked out, feeling a large bump in the back of my throat. My neighbors hardly noticed the large blue box on my lawn, which shocked me. They were too busy concerned with their loved ones and themselves to even notice. If this had happened all around the world by now, had we been too late?

"Not yet," he whispered as he turned away. I closed the door, scared to death. Those were my neighbors. Some even friends. How many had died out there? If the Doctor didn't show up, would I have been one of them? I sunk against the wall as he returned the TARDIS to the vortex. "You alright Felicity?"

"No, no I'm not," I whimpered pathetically. I couldn't help myself. I couldn't find the strength to stand or even sit up properly. I just wanted to curl in a ball and cry. I had never seen devastation like that. Sure, in movies and pictures, but never in real life. The Doctor walked over to me and picked me up. I wrapped my arms around his neck as we came back to the console. He placed me on the bench and knelt next to it.

"Do you want me to take you back to your parents?" he whispered kindly. I shook my head as I sniffed. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," I murmured with a hiccup. "It's just the first time dealing with death and destruction. I would have seen it later in life. Better now than later."

"You're a tough girl," he smiled as I continued to hiccup. I mustered as smiled and gave him a hug.

"Besides, traveling with you so far has been interesting and eye opening. Why would I want to leave?" I continued before I wiped my eyes. The Doctor smiled and patted my shoulder.

"Shall we go see Jerab, then?" he suggested as I gave him a cunning smile.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" I asked softly, fire in my eyes.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because, right now, I'm going to punch him in the face and skin him like a cat," I hissed with a slight laugh. The Doctor gave me a strange look before shrugging.

"Let's try diplomacy first before we skin him, alright?" he offered as I sighed, but nodded. It was probably better to figure out something before we threatened or assaulted him. The Doctor patted my back again before returning to the console.

"Doctor, why did you bring me back to my neighborhood?" I asked cautiously, slightly afraid of the answer.

"I didn't. The TARDIS sometimes goes off on her own. Usually takes me places where I'm needed most. I think she wanted to show us what the ice cream men have done in our absence. Her way of saying that we're needed," The Doctor explained as it went right over my head.

"She?"

"Of course."

"She's not a person, Doctor. She's just a time machine."

"Oi! She's not just a machine! She actually has a soul, mind you!" The Doctor exclaimed, snapping his head up to look at me. I held my hands up apologetically. He sighed and shook his head. "Just be careful of what you say, okay? She has feelings, you know. I don't want her dropping us off somewhere dull."

"I'm sorry," I answered sincerely, wondering if that was actually true. The Doctor was several hundred years old, and he might have delusions about the TARDIS. He just smiled, satisfied, and continued to press seemingly random buttons and levers. I wiped my eyes again and stood next to him as we landed once more. The Doctor led me to the door back into the god awful factory's office. Jerab had his back facing us, looking over his devilry.

"Jerab, we have come again to speak with you," the Doctor declared as the Silurian turned around, offering a smile. I grabbed his jacket, keeping myself behind him so I wouldn't try to murder Jerab.

"I see that. Do you remember what I told you when I sent you away?" Jerab demanded, trying to be pleasant. I rolled my eyes as the Doctor nodded. I could feel the tension rise as Jerab grew irritated with us.

"You were going to kill us, I know, but I have a proposition for you. Of course, if you don't want to hear it, then we can leave" the Doctor replied, shocking both Jerab and myself. I pulled at his jacket nervously as Jerab sat up, pleasantly surprised. He didn't think that the Doctor would come back with something like this.

"Continue, then, Doctor. I will listen to your proposal, but keep it short. My patience has been worn thin over the day," Jerab insisted as he offered the Doctor a seat, which he took gratefully. I stood respectively behind him, since I didn't want to upset the Silurian. As a lower life form in his eyes, I figured that I could at least act the part for a few minutes as the Doctor explained himself. "So, dazzle me."

"When I say proposal, I mean it more of a compromise, honestly," the Doctor stalled as Jerab rolled his eyes.

"My patience, Doctor, is still very thin." I bit my tongue, fighting the urge to kick Jerab in the shin, or whatever he had. I closed my eyes to contain myself so I wouldn't offend the horrible Silurian.

"Right, I'll get to the point, then. It seems that you want all the humans gone so that the sleeping Silurians can have it to live on Earth. Well, I don't want the humans dead or removed from this planet. So, my proposition is that we awake the the colony beneath the earth and bring them straight to Siluria," the Doctor answered, keeping strict eye contact with Jerab, who was bewildered by this.

"Doctor, you are so brave and ignorant. I don't just want the colony. I want the entire planet, Doctor. Nothing can persuade me from that," Jerab informed, leaning on the desk. He seemed slightly amused by the Doctor and his proposal.

"You didn't let me finish. I've already talked to the Silurian Council, and, to put it plainly, they severely disapprove of what you're doing," the Doctor continued as Jerab took interest again. Well, it wasn't so much as interest as it was panic and fight.

"So what?" he demanded, trying to hide his emotion. I could feel the Doctor's amusement from Jerab's voice and fear.

"If you do not take my proposal, I will turn you over to the Silurian government and I will let them deal with you. And I know that I'm much more lenient than they are," the Doctor finished, giving a pause at the end. Jerab pursed his lips, understanding what this could mean. He could either get in trouble with the Order or the government.

"I think I'll take my chances with the government, Doctor. I have gone to far not to follow through. Besides, I'm more afraid of the Order," Jerab answered, hoping to get some sort of reaction from the Doctor. The Time Lord just shrugged and stood up, surprising the Silurian. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Siluria. When I talked to your leader, they said that they would declare war on you. If you do not leave willingly, then they will extract you from this planet. I told them that I would give you a choice. You said you researched me, Jerab. You know how I feel about second chances," the Doctor warned, leading me away from the office. I glanced back to see Jerab's mouth open and close, frightened of the Doctor's consequences.

We stepped back into the TARDIS and shut the door. I stared at him as he walked around the console. He seemed to be stalling for something. I walked up next to him and watched what he was doing.

"What's our next step?" I whispered as I folded my arms. The Doctor shrugged, avoiding my gaze. He didn't seem very attentive to my question.

"I think we're going to have to put matters into our own hands. I'm not going back to Siluria. They will kill hundreds of people just trying to get to Jerab. As nice as the Silurians are, they still feel humans are inferior. They have no value. I want to keep as many as I can alive. Going back to Oag is my very last option," the Doctor informed, pressing a single button. I nodded, hugging myself.

"What are we going to do, then?"

"I'm thinking that we will have to improvise. We don't have much time, and I can't think of a strategy right off the top of my head," the Doctor admitted, looking at me. I pursed my lips, wondering what that would entail. "What to go home yet?"

"My home was destroyed, Doctor," I reminded, wanting to stay. He shrugged and pulled a lever, making the TARDIS dematerialize.

"Home is where the heart is. I more of meant that I would send you back to your parents. I'm sure you all can figure something out," he replied distractedly. I patted his back and smiled.

"You can't get rid of me that easily. I'm here to stay and help save the world!" I declared as I walked to the bench. The Doctor smiled and shook his head.

"Anyway, my plan so far is to try to find the signal for the ice cream men again. Instead of tracking it, I want to see if we can find a way to short out their circuits. Destroy them with a radio wave of our own," the Doctor explained, looking at the pillar in the middle of the console. I nodded, leaning forward in my seat.

"How do we capture one?"

"I don't know. I guess we'll see what happens when we get there," he mumbled, not giving his full attention. I rolled my eyes, thinking that this could end rather badly. I sat back again as I listened to the strange whirring noise that TARDIS made, thinking that it was calming. I felt my eyelids droop and soon I found myself asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

When I woke up, I was still on the TARDIS, since I could hear the whirring noise still, but I was in a different room. It was nicely decorated with a dresser and a vanity. I sat up, realizing that I was in bed with my street clothes still on. I had fallen asleep in my jeans. I brought my legs to the side of the bed and rubbed my face. I tried to remember what happened and where I was when the Doctor came in.

"Good, you're awake!" he smiled before leaving again. I sighed and laid my head back down. I found that I didn't want to be awake. I ached everywhere from running around. Then my memories caught up with me. I moaned and sat back up. I couldn't sleep now. We needed to complete the mission. I opened the door to find the Doctor or the console area, but all I found was a dimly lit hallway. It seemed to go on forever. I stepped out into it, waking up a little.

"Doctor?" I called out, wandering one way. I looked around for any sign of where I was, but there was nothing of consequence. I stopped and folded my arms, finding myself cross with him. How could he leave me here and just hope that I made it back to the console room? And how big was this ship, anyway? "Doctor!"

"What?" a faint voice shouted back as a head poked into the hallway a few meters ahead. "What do you want?"

"Where did you go?" I demanded, frustrated and angry. He gave me a concerned look.

"Console room," he answered plainly disappearing behind a pillar.

"Wait!"

"Why?" he asked, poking his head through again.

"Let me get over to you so I know where I'm going," I answered as he sighed and pretended to smile. I glared at him as I walked down and back into the console room.

"Safe and sound," he murmured, going back to the controls. I looked back into the hallway and bit my lip.

"Where was I?"

"Excuse me?"

"Just now. Where was I?" I repeated as he glanced at me.

"A generated room that the TARDIS projected for you. You fell asleep a few hours ago, so I put you there. I made sure that it was near the console room so you could find it again, but oh well," he answered, pressing a few buttons. I nodded and put my hands on my hips, looking around.

"So, what did I miss?" I implored, letting my anger slip away.

"Not much. Captured an ice cream man. Locked him up deep inside the TARDIS," he shrugged, not even glancing at me.

"Do you have a dungeon down there?" I teased, folding my arms.

"Yep," he stated as I gaped. The Doctor noticed my reaction and turned to me. "What?"

"That was meant to be a joke," I whispered, astounded that he had a dungeon in the TARDIS. He shrugged again.

"Well, there probably is," he defended as I rubbed my forehead.

"Why would you need a dungeon in the first place?" I mumbled, closing my eyes. The more I got to know the Doctor, it seemed the less I thought I knew. He really was just a madman with a box. I started to wonder whether it had been a good idea coming here.

"In case I need prisoners. Like that ice cream android. Do you really think I was going to put it in a bedroom or the pool room? It wouldn't hold him," the Doctor replied, slightly offended.

"You play pool?"

"No, the pool room has a swimming pool," he clarified as I covered my face in my hands. This was too much all at once.

"Just how big is this place?" I whispered, my hands leaving my face. The Doctor thought a moment before smiling.

"As close to infinite as you can get, I think. I'm sure there's an end, but I haven't found it just yet. Probably never will," the Doctor shrugged, continuing to press buttons and pull levers. I held my breath.

"So, where are we off to now?" I asked, changing the subject. The Doctor smiled in my direction.

"Well, I actually put a lot of thought into this. Using my sonic screwdriver, we'll boost a signal through the android and we'll transmit it to every other android on the planet," he replied, proud of himself. I grinned, thinking that he was impressive.

"How do we get the new signal into the robot?" I questioned.

"Android-"

"Whatever."

"Anyway, we can download it into its software, much like downloading a virus onto a computer. It'll be simple. The only difficult part should be calming the android down so we can actually get near it again. And we can't damage it, either," the Doctor sighed, realizing that it might be harder than he thought.

"I see," I mumbled, thinking. "Can't we just sonic the information in?"

"It doesn't work that way, I'm afraid. We have to get the signal into the droid manually to make sure that it works and will be effective," the Doctor answered, thinking of a solution.

"Well..." I stalled, thinking of different ways to shut it down or make it sleep. "Can't we jam its circuits while we download it in? It should damage it too badly, and it should still be able to work."

"That's actually a brilliant idea!" he exclaimed, throwing his screwdriver in the air and catching it. I watched him bound down the stairs into the TARDIS. I followed behind me and smiled, thinking that he could be like a child sometimes.

We weaved in and out of hallways, seeming to go nowhere. I sighed and kept following, thinking that the Doctor was my only hope to ever get out of the TARDIS again. I assumed that he knew where he was going, since there wasn't a second glance to any hallway or doorway. Soon, we did make it to a heavy iron door with three large locks. The Doctor pulled out the TARDIS key and slid it into the lock. I gave him a sceptical look.

"The TARDIS key can open anything in the TARDIS," the Doctor informed as he opened the ominous door. The android screamed from within the darkness, using strange machine screeches and horrid scratching noises. It wanted out and it wanted out now.

"Why don't you turn on the lights?" I whispered, stepping toward him.

"Droids don't need the light," the Doctor murmured as he flicked the switch on. I could see the android in one of the cells, trying to claw its way out. It reminded me of an angry zombie, trying to get at our brains. The Doctor raised his screwdriver menacingly and approached the droid. It hissed and screeched at him as he activated the sonic. The droid dropped to the ground as he opened the cell and walked in. I followed and peeked through the bars. He ran the screwdriver over the metal body and smiled. "This should be easier than I thought. Seems that Jerab has gotten cocky."

"Sounds like it," I answered quietly, keeping my distance. It had tried to kill me mere hours ago, and I didn't want to see if it still wanted to. The Doctor pulled out what looked to be a USB drive and plugged it into its neck. "Is that a flash drive?"

"Yep. Well, a newer version. Won't be around for another three hundred years," he smiled, standing up. The body twitched as the Doctor went to pick it up. He carried it out of the cell, which made me jump back.

"What are you doing?" I hissed, scared of that thing.

"You can't think that the transmitter is going to signal from inside the TARDIS. Jerab would be able to pinpoint us the second we landed on earth. I'm dropping it off where I found it and leaving it there. Then we'll go pay Jerab one last visit," the Doctor explained, walking out of the dungeon. I sighed and turned off the lights before running after him.

I waited by the console while the Doctor returned the ice cream android to its stolen ice cream truck. I assumed that he already turned on the poisonous signal. Crossing my feet, I leaned against the controls and started to wonder where he went. Within a moment, he came back through the doors, walking straight for the controls.

"Did it work?" I asked as we dematerialized.

"We'll see," he grinned, feeling powerful and impressive. I nodded and gave him a weak smile. I wasn't sure if it was going to work or not, but I hoped that it did. If not, my neighbors would have died for nothing.

"What if it didn't?" I implored, letting my concern be known. He didn't even glance up.

"It will. It has to," he replied, staring at the controls. I sat back down on the seat a few feet from the console and bit my lip. "What are you thinking about?"

"What makes you think that I'm thinking about anything?" I answered with a question, making him smile.

"Because you have that face on. Your mother always had that face when she was little. Did you inherit anything from your father?" he inquired, standing next to me. I shrugged.

"My dislike of mushrooms," I laughed before I exhaled. "I was just thinking how much my life has changed in the last few hours. If you didn't show up yesterday, I'm assuming it was yesterday, I would most likely be dead, lying next to my parents. That realization is a hard one to accept. To think you would be dead if you didn't meet a mad man."

"I understand," he replied, although I wasn't sure that he did. "Just be thankful, I guess. That's what I do in those situations. Instead of focusing on what could have been, focus on what did happen. Focus on being alive, being human."

"Being human?" I smiled as he shrugged.

"If I had to choose a race to be that wasn't Time Lord, human would be on my option list," the Doctor defended, making me smile.

"You're ridiculous. Are we there yet?" I asked as he walked over to the console with a chuckle.

"Nearly. Ready to run?"

"Always."


	9. Chapter 9

The Doctor landed the TARDIS once again in Jerab's factory. He peeked out the door and motioned for me to follow him. I bit my lip and kept behind him as we went to the office. The lanky man was there again, surprised that we showed up once again. The Doctor walked past him hastily, opening the doors. It startled Jerab as he stood from his chair, and he looked absolutely furious to see us there.

"What the hell do you want?" He barked as the Doctor stood in the middle of the room.

"You need to leave," the Doctor answered, making the Silurian laugh.

"I'm not leaving. We've been through this time and time again. I am not leaving!" Jerab hissed, slamming his fists on the table. The Doctor smirked.

"Yes you are. Have you seen your little death droids recently?" The Doctor inquired as Jerab ran for the window. Outside, all of his machines were going berserk as they twisted and popped that I didn't know was possible. Heads and limbs flew across the room, leaving a trail of sparks and bolts. Jerab screamed in anguish and fell to his knees.

"You cannot do this to me!" he hissed as he covered his face. The Doctor said and did nothing, standing over him silently, like a Grim Reaper. His eyes were fixed on Jerab as he grew angry.

"You have killed so many, Jerab. You shouldn't have been able to do that," the Doctor whispered, making Jerab grow angrier. "You are just another creature thinking that he can play God. You are just another demon made to create a hell of another."

"You say that I am the monster, but that is not true! You are the monsters! You and that puny human race, Doctor! Don't you realize what you've done?! You have destroyed decades of work! It was all in vain!" Jerab threatened as he shot a dart out through his tongue. The Doctor, however, caught the tongue and yanked it, making the Silurian scream out in pain.

"You say that we're the monsters? No one is a monster until they have proven otherwise. You have decided to destroy an entire race for a myth. That doesn't sound civil to me. That sounds barbaric. Childish. Monstrous. The Silurian government will send a prison ship down to retrieve you, Jerab," The Doctor informed as Jerab began to panic. He crawled toward us, his long, limp tongue retracting into his mouth.

"You cannot leave me here!" he pleaded as the Doctor glared at him.

"I can indeed leave you here. To face justice. You have killed hundreds if not thousands of people! That is not acceptable, ever. No, you must face whatever is coming for you, Jerab. No matter how terrible that is," the Doctor informed as Jerab stood back up. He grabbed a hidden knife from underneath the desk and loomed it over the Doctor.

"It's not over yet, Doctor. There will be more like me, and not even you can stop this! Not even God can stop this from happening! It is destiny, Doctor! Even you should know that!" Jerab shouted, showing just how insane he was. He positioned the knife over his chest as the Doctor yelled at him to stop. Just before he plunged the knife in, his tongue lashed out once more and stabbed me in the neck. Jerab and I both collapsed on the ground at the same time, but he was dead before he hit the ground. Leaving this Silurian where he was, the Doctor ran over to me and looked at my wound. I opened my eyes, wincing.

"How bad is it?" I whispered, feeling an enormous pain coming from the right side of my collarbone. The Doctor sniffed and shook his head.

"You're going to be fine. I'll carry you to the TARDIS and we'll get you to Siluria. They can heal you there," The Doctor answered, sliding his arms behind my knees and back, lifting me up smoothly. I clasped my neck and smiled up at him.

"Am I really going to be just fine?" I murmured, thinking that he might have been lying to me. He ignored my question as he opened the doors and put me down on the bench. I looked down at my hand to see the blood mixing with the green poison. I sighed and looked up at him as he sent the TARDIS into the time vortex, my vision blurring. "It's okay if I'm dying, Doctor. I am not afraid of death. For a while, I thought I was going to live a pointless life, but then I met you. Of course it's only been a day or two, but you have single handedly changed my life. If I live through this, I will have learned so much. That aliens exist, that there is a future, and that I can make a difference in the universe. I will never regret meeting you, even if you regret meeting me."

"Oh, Felicity, I would never regret meeting you," he promised, touching my cheek. I could feel a tear fall onto my shoulder. "And no one ever lives a pointless life. Everyone is important, no matter what. You are an essential part in this universe."

"And you've shown me that, Doctor," I whispered as the TARDIS landed on Siluria. I looked at the doors and bit my lip. "Do you think they will treat me?"

"I don't know, but they better," the Doctor whispered as he picked me up again and hurrying to the door. As we made it to the street, we landed right outside the government building. We ran inside as the Doctor shouted for Oag. We dashed from corridor to corridor, hoping that the Leader would show up.

"Doctor?" A familiar voice said from behind. The Doctor whipped around to see Oag standing in the middle of the hallway. He ran to meet us as I closed my eyes. The pain was too much to bear and I knew I was going to die soon. "What's wrong?"

"It's her. Jerab stung her," the Doctor informed as we moved again. I didn't dare open my eyes, thinking that the pain was linked to seeing.

"We need to get to her a hospital immediately," Oag replied as we picked up the pace. I chewed on my cheek as I held my neck. I could feel my consciousness starting to slip as I heard the Doctor's frantic voice in the black. I tried to call out to him, but I was slipping away too fast to even think of what to say. I tried to smiled.

"Thank you," I whispered as I fell into the darkness.

~P~

I slowly woke up in a bright white room. I looked around to see strange machines and bright lights, that eventually began to hurt my eyes. I tried to sit up, but my collarbone said otherwise as it shot pain through my neck and arm. I leaned back in my bed as I caught a glimpse of a dark figure in the corner. I smiled and laughed.

"Doctor, is that you?" I whispered, reaching out for him. He approached and smiled, grabbing my hand.

"I'm here. How are you feeling?" he asked as he came into my clear vision.

"I'm doing well," I murmured. "But I think my eyesight has been affected. What happened, anyway? The last thing I remembered was running through the government building to find Oag."

"We ran down the street and checked you into the hospital. They used an antidote on the poison, but it seemed that you collar bone was fractured. The sting was actually embedded in the bone, which was difficult for a while. Oag promised to pay for all the expenses, though, so no worries there," the Doctor smiled as I sighed with relief. I had survived after all. Even though I was sure that I was going to die, I didn't, and that was the most liberating feeling in the entire world.

"So how long have I been out?" I asked as he shrugged.

"Two weeks."

"TWO WEEKS?!" I screamed as he hushed me. Two weeks? I had been out two weeks? "How did you know I was going to make it? Was I in a coma?"

"No, the pain of the antidote would kill anyone alone. They've figure it would be better if we sedated you first. The pain would have put your brain in overload if you were awake. So, yeah, you were in a coma of some sort," the Doctor informed as I rested my head back.

"Did you tell my parents?" I mumbled, thinking of how my father would freak out and my mom would continually scream at the Doctor.

"Fortunately, no, I haven't. I wasn't planning to, either. Were you?"

"Probably not if I could avoid it," I laughed as he smiled.

"Good, that's what I wanted to hear," The Doctor laughed, squeezing my hand.

"So, when can we go traveling again? When will I be well enough to move?"

"You still want to go traveling?" he scoffed, thinking that the antidote may affected my brain. I rolled my eyes.

"Of course I do. I would never trade anything for this opportunity. Unless you don't want me to come, then I won't argue," I compromised as he shook his head.

"That's not it at all. I just don't want you to get hurt anymore."

"That;'s going to happen whether I'm with you or not, Doctor. That's a part of living. And shouldn't it be my choice to put myself in danger?"

"Sure, but I think your vision could be clouded sometimes. All that wonder and magnificence distracts a person from danger. They fall into it like a trap," the Doctor answered as I sighed.

"I coming with you, Doctor. I don't want to go home," I promised as he shook his head.

"You are just like your mum," he laughed as I smiled. "The medical doctor said that once you woke up, then they would do some final tests and then you could go home."

"Go back to the TARDIS," I corrected as he shook his head and smiled.

"Go back to the TARDIS, but it should take a few hours. Can you handle that?" The Doctor asked as I thought for a moment.

"What are the tests for?"

"Basically to see how the antidote can be used for other species," he informed as I slowly sat up. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not going to some lab experiment. If I can walk, then we can go," I replied, looking around for my clothes. "Where did you put my stuff?"

"In the TARDIS," he answered as I sighed.

"Then let's go."

"But you need to wait for the tests."

"Would you want to be tested on?" I questioned as he paused. He grabbed his leather jacket on the coat rack and opened the door.

"Off we go then!" he replied, shutting the door. We ran to the TARDIS as the security caught us. I laughed as he ran inside the TARDIS and dematerialized out of the hospital.

After I got my clothes back, I came back into the console room and watched the Doctor work. He seemed to be scanning for something when I came by.

"What is it?" I asked as he sighed.

"Seems like there's another planet in danger and they're calling for help. Seems like an asteroid is heading for the world," he sighed as I looked at the monitor.

"Then let's go help them out," I instructed as he beamed widely.

"I was hoping you would say that," he whispered as he pulled the lever and started for the endangered planet. As I held on, I laughed. I was never going to leave this place. Not if I had the chance to stay. This was where I belonged.


End file.
